Ranger Danger
by Ghostwriter
Summary: When a secret from one of the Rangers' pasts comes back to haunt them, Rita uses the distraction to her advantage.
1. Prologue

RANGER DANGER

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Okay, I know I said I wasn't gonna publish stories unless they were finished, but I don't want to wait. I got the idea from one of the PSA announcements for Power Rangers "Making a friend out of an enemy" and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some things are inspired by the Lois and Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Takes place after "Gung Ho". Power Rangers belongs to Saban Entertainment and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

PROLOGUE: 1990

"I'm sick of this! I'm not being used by them anymore!" a boy around thirteen shouted. He was wearing a white shirt covered by a tattered gray hoodie, black jeans, black socks, and boots.

"I'm with Curtis. This **has** to end," another boy the same age agreed. He wore a red shirt with dark blue jeans, white socks, and brown sneakers.

"But how can we stop them? They have complete control over us," a girl reminded them. Her outfit was a pastel yellow shirt with pale blue jeans, white socks, and blue loafers.

"Yeah, and we can't get deactivated," a second girl said. Her outfit was perhaps the wildest with a black sequined shirt, ripped black jeans, black socks, and sequined black boots that laced up to her knees.

"We'll **make** them deactivate us. Come on, Curtis," the second boy encouraged.

"Right behind you, Jason," Curtis said. With that, the two boys headed off, and a small group of kids behind them. A few minutes later, they barged into a small office where a man was sitting at a desk.

"What is this?" he demanded, standing up.

"The experiments are over. This project has gotten **way** out of hand," Jason told him.

"That's right. We're not gonna be your little puppets anymore," Curtis snapped.

"And what are **you** going to do about it? Hmm?" the man smirked. Curtis banged a fist on the desk.

"Easy, Curtis," Jason murmured. The man went to press a button, but Jason grabbed his hand and twisted it. The man groaned as he felt the bones begin to crack.

"We're **all** done. Now deactivate us," he growled, as he felt the bones break under his fingers. With a groan, the man opened a drawer, took out a remote, and pressed a button. The kids groaned as a small joint of pain coursed through them. Then, the boy dropped the man's wrist, turned on his heel, and led the others out in a mad dash.

"And you told **me** to take it easy?" Curtis asked.

"What can I say? The guy's always bugged me," Jason stated. Curtis laughed. The kids continued to run out until they reached a clearing.

"All right. We make a pact here and now: **no one** finds out about this. Project X9 doesn't exist," Jason stated.

"Agreed," everyone said. Then, they all went their separate ways.


	2. Chapter One

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

I got the idea from one of the PSA announcements for Power Rangers "Making a friend out of an enemy" and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some things are inspired by the Lois and Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Takes place after "Gung Ho". Power Rangers belongs to Saban Entertainment and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

The lock on the youth center was pried apart and clattered to the ground. Jason stepped inside and went to the tables, where he, after laying his red backpack on the floor, overturned the chairs and cutting into some of the tables with a sharp knife. After that was finished, he unzipped his backpack and pulled out a can of spray paint. Then, he began spraying the walls. After several minutes, he was done. Then, he smirked and walked away. Jason felt someone shaking him and sat up with a gasp.

"Hey, you okay, Bro?" Tommy asked as he turned on the small lamp. Both boys were wearing the previous days' clothes: a green and black checkered flannel shirt with black jeans and black socks and a red and shirt with blue jeans and white socks, a habit that they had all picked up after the first few times of being called into action at night.

"Yeah. Weird dream," Jason replied.

"What's that on your hands?" Tommy wondered. Confused, Jason followed his friend's gaze. He tensed when he saw the paint on his hands.

"Oh, no," he said softly.

"Jase, what happened?"

"I don't know." Jason turned from Tommy and tried to calm himself. _It can't be. I couldn't have been reactivated_, he thought to himself. However, it would appear that he had been.

"I'm, uh---I'm gonna go get this stuff off of my hands." Then, before Tommy could respond, Jason stood up and went into the bathroom, where he began washing his hands. _Man, what'd I do?_ he wondered. _Who activated me? What'd they make me do?_ he thought again.

"Jase? Jase, are you okay?" With a gasp, Jason turned around to see Tommy.

"Tommy," he said nervously.

"Jase, what's wrong?" his friend questioned.

"I don't think it was just a dream."

"What?"

"Dude, I had paint on my hands. It couldn't have been just a dream!" Jason ran his fingers through his hair.

"Look, if it's really bothering you, why don't we go check it out?" Tommy suggested.

"Yeah. Good idea," Jason agreed. Then, they snuck out the window and headed for the youth center. As they approached the entrance, Jason felt himself growing more and more tense. _Please let me be wrong. Please let it have been a bad dream_, he thought to himself.

"Look. The lock's been broken," Tommy noted. _Jason grabbed the lock and tore it apart._

"Oh, no," Jason murmured. They walked into the youth center and Tommy turned on the lights.

"Aw, man. This place is totally trashed," the Green Ranger sighed.

"Oh, no," his companion stated again. Seeing something on the walls, he stepped closer. His eyes widened when he saw the letters J.L. scrawled in big letters.

"J.L.?" Tommy queried.

"That's me---Jason Lee," Jason answered.

"You mean someone framed you?" Tommy asked.

"No. It was me---I did this. All of it," Jason responded. Then, he punched the wall.

"Man! If I get my hands on whoever did this to me…"

"Jase, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay! Someone just made me destroy the youth center and I have no idea who or why!" With that, he stomped out of the establishment, with Tommy close behind.


	3. Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA message from Power Rangers and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone" and takes place after "Gung Ho". Some things are inspired by the Lois and Clark episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen". I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize. Curtis is the same Curtis from the PSA announcement. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

Later that morning, Jason was in school, trying to pay attention. However, his mind kept running back to the previous night's events. _Somebody __**obviously**__ activated me. But __**who**__?_ he wondered. And for that matter, **why**? What was the plan? He sighed worriedly and fiddled with his red shirt and then wiped his hands nervously on his black jeans, his gaze catching his rustic brown boots. As the day progressed, the other Rangers tried to get him to open up, but he just brushed them off. After school, the others went to the youth center and Jason immediately started working on a punching bag as the others went up to the counter.

"Hey Ernie, what's wrong? You look upset," Kimberly noted. She was wearing a pink checkered top with pale blue jeans, white socks, and white and pink sneakers.

"Someone trashed the place last night. It took me all morning to get it cleaned up," Ernie responded.

"Do you have any evidence of who did it?" Zack asked. He wore a black striped shirt with black jeans, black socks, and black tennis shoes.

"There was some graffiti on the wall with the initials 'JL'," Ernie answered. "It's pretty sad that someone would think I'd believe **Jason** did it." They all turned to stare at the red-clad youth who was working furiously on the punching bag.

"Wow. What's up with him?" Trini wondered. She wore a yellow blouse with black pants, yellow socks, and white shoes. Presently, a boy around Jason's height with chestnut hair and wearing a white shirt covered by an old tattered gray hoodie, black jeans, and black boots came stomping into the youth center.

"HEY, JASON!" Jason turned at the voice and watched as the boy made his way over to him and then took a swing, which he expertly blocked. _What's wrong with him? What's going on?_ Jason wondered.

"Guys, we gotta help him," Kimberly said. They all started forward, but Jason stopped them with a glare and then blocked a kick.

"Curtis, what's with you, man?" Jason wondered.

"Gonna get you."

"Curtis, stop it!" The punches and kicks came faster and Jason barely had time to deflect the blows. Ernie came from behind the counter and stepped forward, intending to break them up, but Jason just shook his head. Surprised, the man stopped. "Curtis, what's wrong with you, Bro?" Tommy, who was wearing a green muscle shirt, black slacks, black socks, and black loafers, looked to the others.

"How does Jason know this guy?" he wondered. The others shrugged.

"Got me," Kimberly answered. She didn't recognize him, and from the looks of confusion on her friends' faces, they didn't know him either. As they fought, Jason looked into Curtis' brown eyes, trying to determine what exactly had set him off. However, the boy's eyes were glazed and unseeing. _Oh, man. He's been activated_, the Red Ranger realized. Curtis let out a side kick, which Jason caught.

"Chill out, man. I **don**'**t** want to hurt you." _Come on, Bro. Snap out of it_, he thought to himself. Curtis broke free from the hold and lunged at Jason, knocking the Ranger to the ground. Then, he put his hands around his throat. Kimberly gasped and Tommy ran up to them, and pulled the boy off of his friend and pinned him to the ground. Immediately, the Red Ranger was at his side.

"Tommy, don't hurt him!" Jason shouted.

"Are you kidding me? He tried to kill you!" Tommy reminded. Jason just pushed Tommy aside as Curtis groaned and put a hand to his head.

"Curtis, you all right, man?"

"Jason? How'd I get here?"


	4. Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PR PSA announcement and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some things inspired by the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Jason helped Curtis up and they quickly walked out of the youth center.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jason asked.

"I was at home studying. The phone rang and I picked it up. After that---" Curtis' voice trailed off.

"So I wasn't the only one reactivated," Jason stated.

"You were reactivated? What'd they make you do?" Curtis questioned.

"I trashed the youth center. It was pretty tame considering what I used to be used for," Jason commented coolly.

"I thought Project X9 was gone," Curtis said.

"So did I, man. So did I," Jason agreed, his eyes clouding with worry. Up on the moon, Rita had witnessed the whole thing.

"So…someone's controlling the Red Ranger, huh?" she cackled. "This is perfect! I can use this to my advantage!" Squatt and Baboo stared at each other in confusion.

"Huh?" they asked.

"Yes, if the Red Ranger is under someone else's control, their team won't be at full strength and can easily be crushed!" Goldar enthused. Rita laughed.

"Exactly!" Back on Earth, Curtis stared at Jason.

"Jase, what do we do?"

"We better go check on the girls. Whoever did this to us could be after them too." With that, they headed out. In the Command Center, Zordon frowned.

"Alpha, I detect something amiss in the Morphing Grid. Run an energy scan on Jason," he instructed.

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha 5 acknowledged. He pressed some buttons and their scanners locked onto the Red Ranger. Meanwhile, Jason and Curtis went to Jason's car and got in. Jason put the keys in the ignition, started it, and then drove out of the parking lot, heading for Stone Canyon. Curtis stared at his friend worriedly. Meanwhile, in an office building, two men had convened.

"So the tests were a success?" one asked.

"Yes. The implants still work," the second man responded. The first man's features broke into a terrible grin.

"Excellent."


	5. Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA announcement, and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some things inspired by the Lois and Clark episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

Several minutes later, the two boys were in Stone Canyon. Jason drove down the street.

"They still live in the same places?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Curtis responded. Jason drove to a modest one story house and parked in the driveway. Then, they got out and walked up to the door. Jason knocked on the door. There were footsteps and soon the door opened to reveal a girl their age with short blonde hair who was wearing a black shirt that was ripped in the sleeves with black jeans that was adorned with a punkish-looking black belt with silver squares, and black high top boots that laced all the way up. She also had black eye shadow and medium red lipstick.

"Well, well, well. Jason Scott and Curtis Baxter," she stated dryly.

"Hey, Ruby. We gotta talk," Jason said.

"Well, why not? We've all been friends for so long," she sarcastically said, as she opened the door to let them in. Curtis shot her a look as they stepped inside.

"Same old Ruby," Jason murmured. Despite her tone, both boys knew that was actually glad to see them. Ruby Chandler motioned for them to sit down.

"Ruby, do you still keep in touch with Monica?" Curtis questioned.

"Yeah," Ruby answered.

"Call her. It's an emergency," Curtis instructed. Though confused, the girl did so, and it was only a few minutes before Monica Reynolds, who was wearing a baby-blue blouse with pink jeans, white socks, and a pair of blue loafers, was at the door.

"Hey, what is this? Some kind of twisted reunion?" she asked, seeing the boys. Jason stared at the girl, whose long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"You could say that," was his response.

"Ruby said it was an emergency. What's going on?" Monica wondered.

"Curtis and I---we were both reactivated," Jason told them.

"What? Are you guys okay?" the girls asked.

"We're fine…but I trashed our youth center," Jason replied.

"And I nearly killed Jason," Curtis stated.

"Oh, man. This is not good," Ruby commented.

"Has anything weird happened to you guys?" Jason wondered. They shook their heads.

"No, it's been pretty quiet…other than the monster attacks in Angel Grove," Monica said. Jason rubbed the side of his neck, a nervous habit they were all familiar with.

"Man, what could they want us?" he wondered. Monica put a hand his arm.

"Jason, we'll figure this out…you'll see," she assured. He shot her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, girl," he murmured. They all just---they all just had to stick together. But who was doing this to them? And why? He sighed again and fell silent, deep in thought.


	6. Chapter Five

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA announcement, and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some things inspired by the Lois and Clark episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

On the moon, Rita cackled.

"Now is the perfect time to strike," she declared.

"Yes, the Red Ranger will be too distracted to even worry about your latest monster," Goldar enthused. The sorceress cackled again. _This is too perfect!_ she thought to herself. "FINSTER! FINSTER!" she shrieked, heading for underling's workshop.

"Yes, my Queen?" he asked.

"Make me a nasty monster that can crush the other Rangers while the Red Ranger is being distracted by whoever's controlling him," she commanded.

"Do you have a specific type of monster in mind, Evil One?" he queried.

"Oh, why don't you just surprise me, my little dingbat?" she suggested.

"As you wish, my Queen," he responded with a bow. She cackled and walked out. Finster turned to his clay creations and perused them critically. It wasn't often that Empress Rita was in a generous mood, so he knew he had to make this monster extraordinary. But which one of his creatures would fit the bill? He tapped his chin thoughtfully. Then, he caught sight of the mold he had just finished a few hours ago. His features turned into a terrible grin.

"Yes, I think the Soul Stealer will do quite nicely," he commented. Then, he put the mold into his machine, and after a few minutes of steam and whistles, it came out as a monster. It growled menacingly and then roared, resulting in Rita stomping back in.

"Finster, what---" her question died off when she saw the monster. "The Soul Stealer! I love it!" With that, she sent it down to Earth. It roared and stalked through Angel Grove Park stealthily. Seeing two teens, he shot a beam at them and seconds later, they dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! This is horrible!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Contact the Rangers at once," Zordon instructed and the robot did so. In the youth center, Tommy, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy hurried to a secluded spot and looked around furtively.

"Tommy here. Go ahead, Zordon," Tommy stated once they were sure it was clear.

"You must get to the park right away. Rita has sent down a new monster," Zordon told him.

"We're on our way," Tommy promised.

"Use caution, Rangers. This monster is known as the Soul Stealer and if he manages to get your soul, you lapse into a state of unconsciousness with the possibility of death," Zordon cautioned.

"Acknowledged," Tommy said.

"It's morphin' time!" Zack called.

"Dragonzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"  
"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Immediately, the Rangers were in the park.

"I don't understand, Zordon. For some reason, Jason's not answering his communicator," Alpha commented. "And not only that, the scan we ran on Jason revealed alterations to his neurological patterns."

"This is indeed troubling. Keep trying, Alpha," Zordon responded. Hearing his communicator again, Jason quickly put a hand over the device. _I can't morph. What if I get activated in the middle of a battle?_ he worried. It went off again.

"Jason, what is that?" Monica wondered.

"New alarm. I'm gonna go see if I can fix it," he answered and hurried off to another room out of their earshot.

"Come in, Zordon," he stated.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi! Jason, you must hurry to the park! The other Rangers are having trouble with Rita's latest monster," Alpha reported.

"Alpha, I can't. I'm sorry," Jason responded.

"Jason, we detected a disturbance within the morphing grid and ran an energy scan on you, which revealed changes in your brainwaves," Zordon stated.

"Just forget about it, Zordon. You can't help me. No one can." Zordon frowned in concern at the Red Ranger's despairing tone. What was troubling him? Before he or Alpha could ask, the Ranger cut off communication. Back in the house, the phone rang. Someone picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" they asked.

"Helper." Immediately, their face went slack and their eyes flashed silver.

"I'm ready."

"Take whatever you can find, go to Angel Grove Park, and destroy it. Don't let anybody get in your way. Do whatever you have to."

"I understand." There was a click. They placed the phone back in the cradle, went up the stairs to a bedroom, got various bottles of spray paint, and then climbed out of the window.


	7. Chapter Six

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

MusicLover3889 (ch 1-6): Glad you think so. Thank you. I will. I gotta figure out how to work an angle for one of the eps first. Glad you think so. Thanks. Thanks. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a Power Ranger PSA announcement and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some concepts taken from the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own the plot.

Meanwhile, in the park, the Rangers were busy fighting Soul Stealer, who had since been enlarged by Rita's wand.

"Where's Jason? We really need him," the Pink Ranger stated as their zords were knocked back by the monster.

"Yeah, tell me about it," the Black Ranger agreed.

"Zordon, have you been able to reach Jason?" the Green Ranger questioned.

"Yes. However, for some odd reason, he has refused to answer the summons," their mentor answered.

"What?!" the Rangers chorused. Then, they became aware of someone approaching.

"What in the world?" the Black Ranger questioned.

"This could prove to be most disastrous," the Blue Ranger worried. To their surprise, the girl ignored them and began defacing the park's property.

"What is she doing?" the Yellow Ranger wondered. The Soul Stealer turned to the girl and fired its beam at her. Seconds later, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Well, that was unexpected," Rita commented after seeing the scene. "Soul Stealer, return immediately. We'll take care of the Rangers later." The creature did as Rita bid.

"Um…okay," the Pink Ranger stated in surprise. Then, they teleported back to the Command Center. Meanwhile, back at Ruby's house, Jason had just realized that one of their group was missing.

"Guys, where's Monica?" he questioned. Immediately, they all spread out through the house, calling for their friend. However, it was soon apparent that she was gone.

"Where could she have gone?" Jason wondered.

"Wait…the phone---it rang a while back," Curtis stated.

"Well, ain't that just lovely? You guys are so comfortable in my house that you take it upon yourselves to answer my phone," Ruby griped. Jason shot her a look, but said nothing.

"All right, look. I think we can assume that she was activated. We just gotta figure out where they sent her and what they made her do," Curtis commented. Just then, Jason's communicator went off.

"I see you couldn't get your alarm fixed," Ruby noted.

"Yeah, I guess I'm gonna have to take it to the jeweler's tomorrow," Jason said. The six-tone came again and with a sigh, the boy excused himself. In the kitchen, Jason answered his communicator.

"Zordon, I told you---" Jason began to say.

"Jase, a civilian was injured," Tommy interrupted.

"What?" Jason questioned.

"Yeah, it's a girl with long brown hair wearing a baby-blue blouse with pink jeans, white socks, and a pair of blue loafers," Kimberly reported.

"Monica," Jason muttered. "All right, uh---I'll be there in a sec." Then, he shut off communications before they could say anything. He walked back into the living room. "Guys, I just remembered there's something I gotta do," he told them.

"We'll go with you," Curtis offered.

"Thanks, but you can't," Jason answered.

"Jase, we should really stick together," Curtis reminded.

"Guys, I'm sorry. But this is somethin' I gotta do by myself," Jason stated firmly. Then, before they could object further, he went out the front door, hid behind a building, and then teleported. Once in the Command Center, he quickly turned his attention to the medical chair.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling beside her and perusing her body.

"It was really weird. She just showed up in the middle of the fight and started defacing everything," Kimberly reported.

"Monica? Monica? Come on, wake up," Jason urged, shaking her.

"I'm afraid your efforts will be fruitless. Rita's latest creation steals souls, rendering its victim unconscious with the possibility of death," Zordon told him.

"Zordon, I can't allow this to happen," Jason declared emotionally.

"Shouldn't she be in the hospital with the other victims, Zordon?" Trini queried.

"Normally you'd be correct, Trini, but our scanners picked up some unusual alterations to her brainwaves," Zordon responded. Jason froze. _No. The sensors couldn't have picked up on it_, he thought to himself. What no one knew, was that in an office building, the two men were waiting impatiently.

"Where is she? She's gotten orders like this before and knows she's supposed to come to us when she's finished," the first man snapped.

"Perhaps something is stopping her," his companion suggested. The first man sighed irritably.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to give her a little incentive," he declared, taking out a remote. His hand pressed one of the buttons on it. In the Command Center, Monica's body started convulsing.

"Oh, shoot!" Jason exclaimed. _Man, they must've been expecting her back!_ he realized.

"What in the world?" the other Rangers asked. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Stop it! Don't do this to her! She can't obey you!_ Jason's mind screamed.

"Tie her down! Quick!" Tommy ordered. Alpha went to do so, but Jason quickly stood up and pushed him away from the consoles.

"No one's touching her!" he exclaimed.

"Jase, she's having a seizure," Trini pointed.

"She's not. It's just---don't touch her," Jason said.

"Jason, her altered brainwave patterns mirrors the anomaly find in you," Zordon stated.

"What?" the others asked. Jason froze as the other Rangers turned to him in confusion. His throat muscles constricted as his eyes clouded with pain and shame, and then he slumped his shoulders and hung his head.


	8. Chapter Seven

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some concepts taken from the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

"Jase what's going on?" Zack questioned. Jason looked back up.

"In order to keep this team safe I hereby step down for the time being," he stated.

"What!?" the others chorused.

"Jase, you can't mean that," Tommy protested.

"I do mean it, Tommy. I'm not going to be responsible for endangering this team," Jason responded. He turned to their mentor. "Zordon, you're right. There **is** something wrong with our brainwave patterns, but I can't tell you, because this doesn't just affect me and I made a pact that I can't break. However, I refuse to allow myself to become a liability to this team." With that, he handed the morpher to Alpha.

"Jason," the robot said in surprised sadness.

"Don't be sad, Alpha. I just need you to keep this safe for me until I take care of some things," he told him.

"Of course," he responded.

"Though I don't know why you have benched yourself at this time Red Ranger, I commend your reasoning and will respect your decision," Zordon stated.

"Thanks, Zordon," Jason said. _I wish I could explain, but I can't_, he thought to himself with a sigh. Then, he turned back to Monica. "Come on, girl. You gotta wake up…for the group?" The other Rangers stared at each other. What was going on? How did Jason know the girl and what did he think that he couldn't tell them? _We're his best friends. He can tell us anything_, Kimberly thought to herself. _This is weird. Why doesn't he trust us?_ Tommy wondered. Then, _Or is it me that he's wary of? Does he think I might break if Rita or_---Almost as if sensing the thoughts, Jason turned to Tommy.

"I trust you, Bro. And I know you'd never reveal anything, but I can't break my promise," he said. Tommy stammered a bit and then looked to the others. What was going on? How had Jason done that?

"Don't worry, Bro. He's done that to us too. We're not sure how he always knows, but it's creepy as heck," Zack told him. Jason looked to Zordon.

"Is Monica gonna be all right?" he questioned.

"I am uncertain, Red Ranger," came the answer. He sighed and worriedly ran his fingers through his hair. Then, "I better go before they get suspicious." With that, he teleported himself out of the Command Center. The other Rangers stared at each other worriedly. What was up with Jason? Meanwhile, in her moon palace, Rita was celebrating her victory.

"This is going even better than I planned!" she cackled. "Whoever's controlling the Red Ranger has him so shaken up that he's not even showing up for battles!"

"We can crush him easily!" Goldar roared. She laughed evilly.

"Yes, we can." Back at Ruby's house, Jason had walked back in.

"Jason? Where'd you go?" she asked in surprise.

"No where," he answered.

"Jason?" she questioned, surprised at his curt tone.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I had to do something, but it's fine now," he continued.

"Is everything okay? I mean, you know, besides the obvious?"

"Yeah. Everything's cool."

"I wonder what happened to Monica." Jason's eyes clouded. He couldn't tell Ruby that Monica was in the Command Center. But what was he going to do? Curtis walked up to them.

"Jase, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Sensing that Jason wasn't telling them something, Curtis frowned. However, he didn't press it. Just then, the phone rang. Everyone froze. The phone rang again and Ruby headed for the appliance.

"No! Don't answer it!" Curtis warned.

"I have to! I'm expecting a call. It could be them," Ruby responded.

"Just…be careful," Jason pleaded. The phone rang again.

"I can put it on speaker," Ruby stated. Then, she picked up the phone and did so.

"Hello, X-9," a voice greeted. Ruby and Curtis gasped and Jason's eyes flashed.

"Stryker," the Red Ranger growled.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The name Stryker comes from X-Men, but it's not the same guy.


	9. Chapter Eight

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

CorynNighthawk3078: Public service announcement. Thanks, I'm glad you like it so far. Well, knowledge of the shows isn't essential for the fic. I either did it on purpose or didn't care.

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some concepts inspired by the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Got the name Stryker from X-Men, but it's not the same guy as in any of the installments. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

"Hello, Scott," Lucas Stryker greeted with a dark chuckle. The man had never used their first names during the experiments, only their last names. _Man! I should've __**known**__ he was behind this_, Jason thought to himself. He stabbed the "End call" button and then took the phone off the hook. Jason rubbed a hand on the side of his neck.

"What do we do? He'll never deactivate us now that he has us again," Ruby worried.

"Yeah, and we have no idea what happened to Monica," Curtis added. Jason fell silent. He wished he could tell them that Monica was safe and sound in the Command Center, but he couldn't. _What do I do? Zordon could probably get us deactivated, but I can't reveal my identity. They don't deserve this. None of us do_, he thought to himself. What was he going to do? He didn't know what to do. Curtis and Ruby stared at their friend. What was he thinking?

"Jase, is everything---besides the obvious---okay?" Curtis questioned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Curtis," Jason responded. "Come on. Why don't the three of us get out of here?" With that, they walked out of the house, got into Jason's car, and then took off. At first, Ruby and Curtis had no clue where their friend was taking them, but then presently, they realized that they recognized the road. The two looked at each other. Jason was taking them to the spot he had shown them years ago. The spot that he said helped him to think. It wasn't very often that he took other people there. As far as they knew, they were the only ones who he had ever shown it to. Finally, he stopped and put his car in park. Then they all unbuckled themselves.

"Jason, what are we doing here, Bro?" Curtis wondered.

"We need to talk," Jason responded, his eyes clouding. "You want the truth, guys?"

"It'd be helpful," Ruby said.

"I don't think this will ever be over. Stryker will just find a way to reactivate us and over and over…unless we stop him," Jason declared.

"What, you mean like 'Stop him' stop him?" Curtis queried. The boy nodded. "Jase, we're not killers," he reminded.

"Oh, no?" the other boy challenged. "Stryker has used the two of us in that capacity before, Curtis! He's made us misuse our skills! Why shouldn't we stop him permanently?"

"Because it wasn't just Stryker who used us and you know that!" Ruby pointed out. "What do you want to do, Jason? Kill everyone who was in charge of Project X9?"

"The thought crossed my mind."

"Jason!" Curtis and Ruby couldn't believe what they were hearing. Since when was Jason willing to kill? Jason sighed.

"Yeah, okay. You're right. That's not me."

"Way to scare a guy," Curtis grumbled.

"But seriously…what do we do?" The trio stared at each other, unsure of themselves.


	10. Chapter Nine

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone". Some things inspired by the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. When I'm in the POV of the characters that run Project X9, other characters will be referred to by their last names. This chap is rather long and I'm sure the constant scene shifts will get confusing and I apologize, but I had a certain plot device that I wanted to get in and this chap is the best one for it.

In the Command Center, Alpha watched over Monica in concern.

"Zordon, the Rangers must defeat Soul Stealer quickly!" Alpha exclaimed. _Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! I've never been so worried!_ he thought to himself. Then, the alarm blared. "Oh, no! It's back!" he exclaimed. Without being told, he summoned the Rangers.

"What's up, Alpha?" Zack questioned.

"Soul Stealer's back!" Alpha replied.

"Where is he?" Kimberly asked.

"Downtown Angel Grove!" Alpha told her.

"We're on it!" Zack promised. The Rangers morphed and materialized in the park. Meanwhile, Stryker had sent some of his men to look for Monica. Finally, one of the men went to a payphone.

"Sir, we've checked all over Stone Canyon and Angel Grove. We can't find her," he reported. Stryker growled.

"You better find her---**now**!" he roared. He slammed down the phone angrily. _When I get my hands on her_…his thought trailed off. Then, his lips curved into a grin when he remembered Scott's voice. The boy had always been a fun one to manipulate, especially with his major guilt complex. The kids had thought that by forcing him to deactivate them that everything was over, but how wrong they had been. He still owned them and there was nothing they could do about it. With a sigh, he turned on the t.v. in his office. However, the only thing of an interest was a report of a monster attack a few hours previously. Suddenly, he noticed a figure on the screen and leaned forward. The monster zapped a girl and she fell to the ground. Then, after the monster retreated, the Rangers teleported her away. _So __**that**__'__**s**__ where she went_, he thought to himself. They probably hadn't realized that she was part of a special project and thus had taken her to their base of operation. _Well then, no matter. I'll just focus on the other kids_, he thought to himself. Meanwhile, Rita had made the Soul Stealer grow and the Rangers had called on their zords, forming the Megazord. With a slice from the Power Sword, the monster was destroyed. At the Lunar Palace, Rita fumed and hit the balcony.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THEY BEAT US!" she shrieked.

"It was all Finster's fault. He made a stupid monster," Goldar quickly stated.

"SHUT UP! I HAVE A HEADACHE!" Almost immediately, in the Command Center, Monica moaned. As she started to sit up, the morphed Rangers appeared in the Command Center and turned to her.

"Easy, Miss. Sit up slowly," the Black Ranger advised.

"Where am I?" she wondered as she did as she was told.

"In our Command Center. You got caught in the crossfire of a monster attack," the Pink Ranger answered.

"What?" she gasped.

"Yeah, you just waltzed right into the park and started defacing everything. Do you have any idea why?" the Green Ranger queried.

"The last thing I remember is the phone ringing," she stated. "And then---" she groaned.

"Just take it easy. There may have been side effects from the monster's attack," the Yellow Ranger said.

"My friends! I have to go to them! They're probably worried sick," she told them, starting to get up from the medical chair.

"Wait, don't---" as the Green Ranger tried to stop her, she elbowed him and then spun around and kicked him in the side, knocking him against a console.

"Aw, geez," he groaned.

"Ma'am, calm down. No one is going to harm you," the Blue Ranger stated, putting his hands out in a placating manner.

"I have to get to my friends and you're not going to stop me," she insisted. "Now send me home…if you can." The Rangers looked to Zordon, who nodded.

"Do as the civilian requests, Rangers. We have no right to hold her against her will." The Green Ranger pressed a button on a console and Monica disappeared in a ball of white light. Back at his office building, Stryker drummed his fingers on the desk. _Who should I activate next?_ he wondered. The only one he hadn't activated yet was the Chandler girl. But he didn't just want to hurt her, but the Scott boy as well. Then, his features curved into a terrible grin. He knew **exactly** what to do. _Yes. That will work perfectly_, he thought to himself and leaned back in his chair. Yeah, that would fix Scott. All he had to do was wait for the right time. Meanwhile, Monica had gone back to Ruby's and had relayed what had happened.

"So wait, whoever activated you put you right in the middle of a battle?" Ruby queried. Monica nodded. "Harsh." Then, she looked at her watch. "Oh, man! Mom's going to be home any second!"

"And that's our cue to go." With that, Monica, Curtis, and Jason left the house.

"Jase, man, what are we going to do?" Curtis wondered.

"Don't know. I mean, we can't go without answering the phone forever," Jason answered.

"Yeah, I think our parents would start to notice," Curtis agreed. Jason chuckled.

"Can I drop you off?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." Jason drove to Crystal Drive and up to Curtis' house and then dropped him off. Then, he went to his own home, where he immediately went to the backyard and started attacking his punching bag. Several hours later, he went inside and headed for his bedroom, where after changing into his clothes, climbed into bed and then drifted off to sleep. The next thing he knew, the phone was ringing. He groaned and then froze. _Oh, man. What if Stryker's trying to activate me again? I don't know if I can handle it_, he thought to himself. But, but on the other hand, what if it was one of the others? He shook his head. There was no need to pick up the phone. He'd see them at the youth center. He got out of bed and got dressed. Afterwards, he went into the kitchen where the phone kept ringing. _Guess Mom and Dad went out_, he thought to himself. The phone rang again and he jumped. He stared at the device nervously. It rang again. _Man, the heck with it!_ he thought. As the phone continued to ring, he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Warrior." The word was out before Jason had time to hang up. The effect was instantaneous. His eyes became glazed.

"What's your command?"

"The Chandler girl. Dispose of her." There was a click. Without a word, Jason headed for his room, where he searched until he found his pocketknife and put it in his jeans pocket. Then, he headed out. Meanwhile, Ruby had decided to visit Angel Grove in an attempt to clear her head. Man, I should come here more often. _It's prettier than Stone Canyon_, she thought to herself.

"Looks like we had the same idea," a voice said. She turned to see Curtis.

"Looks like," she commented.

"So you came to the Grove to get a change of pace, huh?" he queried.

"Only **you** call it the Grove, dork," she told him.

"Emo," he shot back. She fumed playfully. Just then, he noticed a newcomer.

"Hey, Jase," he greeted. Then he noted something flash in the sunlight. "Ruby, watch it!" he shouted. Ruby jumped out of the way as Jason thrust the knife at her. _Aw, man. This is not good_, Curtis thought and quickly ran up to him.

"Yo, Jason, chill," he said.

"Out of my way," the other boy growled, kicking him. Curtis staggered back as Jason lunged at Ruby who dodged the jab. _Can't let him do it. he'll never forgive himself_, Curtis thought as he tried to attack again, but was blocked and punched back. Jason turned to Ruby, brandishing his knife.

"Hey, wake up, Scott. Don't let him use you this way," she said, trying to block an attack. _Come on, man. You can fight this_, she thought to herself. However, his eyes remained glazed and unseeing as he swiped at her again. She groaned in pain when the blade nicked a palm. Curtis spun around to deliver a side kick, but Jason expertly blocked it and then kicked the other boy back.

"I said stay out of my way!" he growled, delivering a kick to his head. With a moan, Curtis fell to the ground. Then, Jason's gaze turned to Ruby who had begun to run off. "Oh, no you don't." He quickly caught her arm and started to strike, pulling her close. Curtis forced himself to his feet and his breath quickened when he saw the scene.

"JASON, NO!" Though the warning came too late, Curtis managed to tackle Jason and the knife went into the lower part of the girl's stomach right above her waist. She gasped and her eyes widened. Jason groaned.

"What? Where---" then he saw the girl sinking to the ground. "RUBY!" he quickly caught her before she hit the concrete. She moaned and her eyes started to close.

"Ruby? Ruby?" He slapped her, trying to force her to stay awake. "RUBY!"


	11. Chapter Ten

DISCLAIMER

Sorry this took so long. Hard to transition and finals are approaching. Inspired by a PSA and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some concepts inspired by the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. Beginning scene is similar to "A Different Shade Of Pink Pt 2".

Several minutes later, after finding a payphone and calling an ambulance, Curtis and Jason ran alongside of a gurney as doctors and nurses wheeled her in.

"What have we got?" a doctor asked.

"Stabbing victim named Ruby Chandler. These are her friends who were with her,"

"The guy came out of nowhere! We couldn't stop him!" Curtis responded.

"It's a good thing you two were able to call for help right away. She's very lucky," the doctor told them.

"Actually, it's all my fault. Is she going to be okay?" Jason asked softly.

"We'll let you know," the nurse said as they continued on. Jason sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"She's going to be okay," Curtis comforted.

"Maybe you should get checked out too. I mean, I **did** kick you in the head," Jason stated.

"I'm fine," he responded. "You know how thick my skull is," he continued jokingly.

"Curtis."

"Jase, I swear. I'm fine." Before Jason could say anymore, an officer walked up to them.

"Boys, I'm officer Stone. Could I have a word with you?" he requested.

"Sure," they agreed and followed him to a corner in the waiting room.

"Now, I'm not sure I'm understanding this. According to the paramedics, you said the three of you were hanging out in the park when a guy came up and stabbed your friend after a short scuffle with the two you," Officer Stone told them.

"Yeah, that's correct," Curtis confirmed.

"And yet you couldn't give them an accurate description of him," Officer Stone continued.

"It happened really fast," Curtis protested.

"Who are you protecting?" Officer Stone prodded.

"No one," Curtis insisted.

"Come on, Curtis. This guy's not stupid," Jason said. "We both know that this was all my fault," he continued.

"Jase," Curtis said, turning to him. _I can't believe he's doing this to himself_, he thought in irritation.

"I was the one stupid enough to pick up the phone when I knew we were being controlled," Jason shot back, forgetting that the officer was there.

"What?" the man asked. "Okay, I think you boys better tell me what's going on right now," he insisted. Shocked, Jason turned to Curtis. _How could I have been so stupid?_ he wondered.

"I think we better, man," Curtis said. The officer looked at the m expectantly. Jason sighed.

"It was called Project X9. It---it was an experimental study on mind control. Each subject was implanted with a chip that allowed the tester to control them," he said, running his fingers through his hair. "It---it wasn't supposed to get so out of hand."

"What do you mean?" Officer Stone asked.

"They started forcing us---to---to do things…things I'm not proud of," Jason answered.

"They're not your fault if you're mind-warped," Curtis pointed out.

"What did your parents have to say about all of this?" Officer Stone questioned.

"They just thought it was it was a study on socialization. They didn't know about the mind control," Curtis responded.

"How'd it end?" Officer Stone asked gently.

"We fought back. Made them deactivate us," Curtis told him.

"We thought it was over," Jason added.

"When did you realize it wasn't?" Officer Stone queried.

"A few days ago," Jason answered. "They made me deface the youth center."

"And I attacked Jason."  
"Another one of the people in our group was sent to deface some public property and apparently gotten caught in the middle of a monster attack...and now---I---I've hurt Ruby." Officer Stone blew out a breath

"Do you know if you can get deactivated?"

"No. The guy who's controlling will **never** let us go. He **owns** us." Officer Stone sighed at Jason's despairing tone.

"Son, if you give me a name---"

"NO! That'll just make everything worse!" Curtis watched as Jason spun around and then punched the wall. _Oooooh. __**That**__'__**s**__ gonna hurt_, he thought to himself as he winced. Two security guards began to approach, but Officer Stone put out a hand to stop them.

"Don't you get it!? We can't stop them! We never could! It'll **never** be over! They won't stop until they kill us all!" With that, he stomped out of the hospital, leaving Curtis and Officer Stone looking at each other in concern.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

In case you haven't figured it out, Officer Stone is the future Lt. Stone.


	12. Chapter Eleven

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PSA for PR and the Mutant X ep "She's Come Undone" as well as some concepts from the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize. Sorry if one of my transitions is a bit clunky.

In the parking lot of the hospital, Jason paced on the sidewalk, and then sank into a sitting position. _What am I going to do? I can't fight Stryker. And there's no way we'll be able to convince him to deactivate us for good_, he thought to himself. He glanced at his communicator and snorted derisively. _ Some Ranger I am. I can't even stop a human from taking control of me_, he thought. Something wet touched his eyelids and realized that he had started to cry.

"Aw, what is this? The big, strong, Red Ranger crying?" a voice sneered. With a gasp, Jason jumped to his feet into a defensive stance.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Your destruction." Goldar lunged at Jason, who quickly dodged the attack and then kicked him. Goldar laughed when he realized that the Red Ranger's heart wasn't in it.

"Look at you! You're pathetic!" With a cry of rage, Jason lunged at him. Goldar dodged and then slashed him in the chest, causing Jason to cry out as he was knocked back.

"Come on, Jason! I know you can fight! What's the matter? Afraid?" the simian taunted.

"Of you? Not a chance!"

"Then come and get me, little Red Ranger!" Jason lunged at him again, only to be tossed over his shoulder. With a laugh, Goldar pinned him to the ground with a foot. In the Command Center, the alarm blared crazily.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Jason's in trouble!" Alpha exclaimed.

"Contact the other Rangers at once," Zordon instructed. Alpha did so.

"What's up, Alpha?" Zack asked.

"Goldar has attacked Jason at the Angel Grove Community Hospital and he needs your help!" Alpha reported.

"We're on it," Zack assured, and the Rangers morphed. Jason grunted over the weight of Goldar's foot. As he struggled, he felt the pressure increase. Suddenly, a bone in one of his ribs cracked and he gave an agonized cry. There was a bright light and Goldar fell back with a cry of pain. He got up and watched in relief as the others fought Goldar. After a few minutes of intense fighting, the general left.

"So long, bozo," the Green Ranger said. Jason gave a rasping chuckle as he tried to rise.

"Jason!" the others cried, turning to their leader.

"I'm fine," he told them, trying not to wince.

"Jase, Bro, you don't sound good," the Green Ranger noted as he and the Black Ranger helped him to his feet.

"I'm okay," Jason insisted, but after one step, began to fall. However, the Green Ranger swiftly caught him and lifted him by the legs so that he was carrying him in his arms, with some help from the Black Ranger.

"Guys, put me down…**now**," Jason growled.

"Sorry, Bro. No can do," the Black Ranger responded as they headed through the doors.

"I swear, if you guys don't put me down---and I mean **right now**---I will drop kick you where it hurts," he threatened. Hearing the threat, two nurses stared at each other and then at the young man who was threatening the Power Rangers. What would their response be to that?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'd like to see you try it," the Black Ranger dismissed.

"What's going on?" the receptionist questioned.

"He got ambushed by our enemies, fought them ending up with a cracked rib, and now he's trying to be a macho man," the Pink Ranger replied. The nurses put in a call and almost immediately, a doctor came up with a gurney. The Rangers gently placed him down, helped strapped him in, and the doctors whisked him away. Then, they all teleported out the building. Jason sighed as the doctors wheeled him into emergency. _I don't believe this. They all disobeyed a direct order. I told them to put me down_, he silently fumed. However, his thoughts were cut off as a bump caused a jolt of pain to go through his cracked rib and he let out a small grunt. Minutes later, he was sitting on an examination table as his ribs were wrapped up.

"I can't believe you guys strapped me down," he grumbled.

"Son, you were fighting the Rangers, we had no choice," the doctor told him. Just then, Kimberly and the others came in.

"What happened?" Kimberly wondered.

"What are you kids doing here?" the doctor wondered.

"We were all thinking about volunteering and were talking to the receptionist when we heard that he had been brought in," Trini answered.

"So, what happened? Is he all right?" Kimberly pressed. _How much damage did Goldar do to him?_ she wondered.

"According to the Power Rangers, he got ambushed by some of their enemies, fighting them and getting hurt in the process," the doctor replied, his tone indicating exactly what he thought of that. Kimberly glared at him.

"That was stupid," she scolded.

"Yeah, I know," he said.

"I'll leave you all alone. And Mr. Scott, you can leave whenever you want," he told them and walked out. In the warehouse, Stryker's henchman walked up to him.

"Well, did Scott break down when he realized that he just killed one of his friends?" he smirked.

"Sorry, Sir. But they managed to get her to a hospital," the man reported.

"WHAT?"

"Sir, I don't know how---" the man's excuse was cut off as Stryker pulled out a gun and shot him in the chest. _So, you failed in your task, did you, Scott? Then I guess I'm just going to have to punish you as I call you back_, he thought, opening a drawer to reveal several controls. He grabbed one and pressed it. Back at the hospital, the others had crowded around Jason.

"See what happens when you don't have your morpher on you?" Kimberly scolded again.

"Guys, I'm fine. I've been injured worse in karate matches," Jason told them.

"But this wouldn't have happened at all if---" Kimberly's complaint broke off as Jason suddenly groaned and grabbed his head.

"Jase?" the others asked, crowding around him.

"Did he get hit in the head?" Zack questioned.

"Not that I saw," Billy replied. Meanwhile, Curtis, who hadn't left Monica's side ever since she had been brought in, had decided to grab a bite to eat. Suddenly, he heard a groan of pain.

"Jason?" he asked. He followed the sound until he reached the room. "Jase!" He pushed past the others who were too surprised to move and stood beside him.

"Curtis, I feel kinda sick, Bro," he moaned.

"He must've found out that Ruby's still alive and he wants you to come back," his friend said.

"What are you talking about?" Tommy wondered.

"Nothin'," Jason groaned. "Man, I knew he had a long reach, but---" the sentence was cut off by a retching noise. Kimberly and the others made noises of disgust. Hearing the noise, a nurse rushed in.

"Do you need some help?" she asked, standing next to him. Jason and Curtis just waved her off. Meanwhile, at the Angel Grove Police Department, Officer Stone was looking up Project X9 on-line. Soon, he was rewarded with a hit.

"Experimental mind control study, that's what the boys told me," he muttered. Then, as he scrolled down, "Run by a Lucas Stryker…study fell apart when subjects quit…Oh, there we are." He stared at the screen. ":Looks like I'm paying a house call!" With that, he stood up and hurried out of the precinct.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm not exactly sure what the procedure is concerning a broken rib, but I figured if the Power Rangers showed up at the hospital, the doctors would be inclined to take him right away, and they didn't take him to the Command Center since they were right there and it would've made more sense to bring him in. And I know realistically, they would've had to call Jason's parents before doing anything because he's a minor, but it just didn't work out for the story.


	13. Chapter Twelve

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Alex B. Goode (Chs 1-12): Thanks. I will. Thanks. Glad you think so. Again, thanks. I will, thanks. Glad you think so. I will. Thanks, cool. Thank you. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PR PSA announcement and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some concepts taken from the Lois And Clark ep "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own characters you don't recognize.

In the Command Center, Alpha and Zordon witnessed the events in the hospital.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!" Alpha exclaimed. "Zordon, what do we do?"

"It is obvious that whoever has a hold of Jason and his friends is escalating. We must bring them here and undue the brainwashing," Zordon stated.

"But that would reveal the Rangers' identities," Alpha protested.

"That is something that can't be avoided. The team can't function properly when it's not at full strength," Zordon replied. "Use the computers to track down people with the same anomalies in Jason's brainwaves and teleport them here."

"Right. Oooh. I just hope they're okay," Alpha worried as he pressed the communications button on the console. In the hospital room, Jason had finally stopped upchucking and was leaning against the wall.

"You don't look so good, bro," Curtis commented in concern.

"I'm all right," he assured Then, before he could say anymore, he felt a familiar tingling sensation. _What the-why am I being teleported?_ he wondered. He looked around the Command Center.

. "Uh-what? Wh-where are we?" Jason asked, playing dumb.

"This place is-unreal," Curtis added. Monica was too surprised and shocked to say anything.

"Jason, you and the other Rangers need not worry. The current circumstances require the revealing of your identities," Zordon told them.

"You've figured out a way to fix the anomalies in Jason's brainwaves?" Tommy asked.

"Not precisely, Tommy. First, we must figure out how the brainwashing occurred," Zordon replied. Curtis, Monica and Jason stared at each other.

"Jason?" Alpha questioned. Jason looked to Curtis and Monica, who nodded their consent.

"We allowed it," Jason said.

"What?" everyone chorused.

"We allowed it," Jason repeated and then repeated the story they had told Officer Stone.

"So, how'd they do it?" Zack wondered.

"A chip in the wrist," Curtis answered.

"But there's no way to get rid of it, which means I'm still a liability to this team," Jason said.

"If it's a chip, there may be a way, though you might not like it," Alpha told them.

"What?"

"Cutting into your skin and removing it."

"No! If it's on the wrist, they could end up losing a lot of blood and dying!" Billy objected.

"Yeah, Billy's right. It's too dangerous," Kimberly agreed. Jason ignored his friends' protests and turned to Monica and Curtis. They were the ones it affected and who needed to make the decision.

"We're in," Curtis told him.

"Yeah. Anything to get rid of his control," Monica agreed.

"I'll go first," Jason told them. "Do what you have to, Alpha."

"I'm sorry to say, but this is going to hurt."

"It's all right." Jason pointed to where the chip had been implanted in his wrist and Alpha used one of the Command Center's tools to cut into the skin. Jason's face twisted in pain and he gritted his teeth. Seeing this, Curtis and Monica each put a hand on his wrist. When it was finally out, a towel appeared in Alpha's hands and handed it to Jason.

"I'll never understand where they keep all of this stuff," Tommy whispered to Zack, who nodded in agreement.

"You want me to go next?" Curtis offered.

"No, I'm good," Monica told him. However, when Alpha started the procedure on her, she quickly grabbed onto Curtis' hand.

"Girl, I'm so sorry."

"Completely worth it, Jase." When her chip was out, she was also given a towel and the procedure was repeated with Curtis.

"What about Ruby? She' still in the hospital," Monica worried.

"Yes, we know. That's why she wasn't teleported here," Alpha answered.

"But we can't just leave her like that," Jason said desperately. It wouldn't be fair to her.

"And we have no intentions of doing so. Once she is out of the hospital and back to full strength, you are to bring her here to get the chip removed," Zordon told him.

"Right," Jason nodded. Meanwhile, after procuring a search warrant, Officer Stone was at the house of a guy mentioned as an associate of Stryker's and of the dead body they had found.

"Gary Smith?"

"Yes."

"I'm Officer Stone. May I come in?"

"Sure." Gary watched through narrow eyes. _Stryker said this was foolproof and that no cop would ever suspect_, he thought to himself. How could he have been so wrong? Then he composed himself. The cop didn't know anything. He was probably here in relation to something else. Officer Stone looked around. He was sure that there was something that connected Smith and Stryker. He just had to keep looking. Then, he noticed a piece of paper on the coffee table. He stepped closer and saw in large letters: JASON LEE SCOTT.

"Do you know a Jason Lee Scott?"

"No."

"You have something with his name on it." Gary looked at the officer, then the paper, and then back at the officer.

"Uh-there must've been a mix-up in the mail," he said. _Well, that's possible_, Officer Stone thought to himself.

"Do you mind if I see the address?" The man hesitated. He was relieved that the cop had bought his lie, but how could he justify not giving him the paper? "If I see the address, I can take it to him for you."

"No. That's-that's fine."

"Are you sure? It'll be no problem for me."

"Look, I said it's fine!" The man went to punch Officer Stone, who blocked the attack and then placed him under arrest, reading him his rights. Then, he bagged the piece of mail and took the man to the Angel Grove Police Department.

"So, what's your connection to Jason Lee Scott?" Officer Stone demanded, tossing the bagged piece of paper.

"I told you! The postal service made a mistake!" the man insisted.

"Then why wouldn't you let me look at it and why did you try to deck me?" he shot back. The man stammered. "I know you have some connection to Lucas Stryker and Project X9!" the man's jaw dropped and he stared in surprise. How did this guy know? At the man's shocked look, Officer Stone nodded. **Now** they were getting somewhere. He was about to ask another question when the door opened to reveal one of his superior officers.

"Stone, a word?" Taking the paper, he officer followed the man outside.

"Who's the guy in the interrogation room, and do you have anything that'll stick?"

"He's working for a guy who previously used kids in some kind of mind control project and he's started up again."

"How can you be sure?"

"He had this." The man took the paper and they looked through it.

"What'd he say for having this?"

"Mailman made a mistake."

"You don't buy it?"

"Not when he made a stink about me takin' it to the boy." The older officer nodded. That made sense.

"You think you can get him to talk?" Officer Stone nodded and the two walked back in.

"So Gary, what can you tell us about Project X9?" Officer Stone questioned.

"What's that?" Gary questioned.

"Don't play with me! This paper goes into detail about the Project and has information that links you and Stryker together! If you give him up, **maybe** we can you a deal! Otherwise, you'll be charged as a coconspirator to attempted murder." Gary hesitated. He didn't want to go down for that. But Stryker was nuts.

"Can you protect me from Stryker? Because I can guarantee you that he'll kill me if he finds out that I talked," Gary stated.

"We'll do what we can," Officer Stone answered. Gary nodded, and then he told them everything. How the project had been created, how they had chosen their subjects, what they had made them do, how the project had been terminated, and why it had been revived. After he was finished, he signed the written confession and the two officers stepped out of the room.

"What do you plan to do now, Jerome?"

"see if I can get the kids to testify against him." With that, the officer walked back out of the precinct.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Alex B. Goode: Thanks. Here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by a PR PSA announcement and the Mutant X episode "She's Come Undone". Some concepts taken from the Lois And Clark episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney.

While all of this was going on, Jason, Curtis, and Monica had made another trip to the hospital. Inside the room, Jason sat by himself, head dropped, hands rubbing the sides of his neck.

"Okay, Scott. What's up?" Ruby asked.

"This should be me. **I** should be lying here. This is all my fault," he told her.

"Come on, Scott. Don't be like this," she scolded. Before he could say anything, a woman came in and the three visitors sat up straighter.

"Hey, Dr. Carter," Ruby greeted.

"Miss Chandler," Dr. Carter responded. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine…considering." The woman managed a small, but sad smile. "It's not good, is it?"

"No. I'm afraid it's not."

"Give it to me straight, I can take it." Confused, Jason looked at Monica and Curtis.

"What are they talking about?" he asked. The two shrugged. They had no clue.

"I'm afraid there's no way to fix this. It's permanent." Jason froze.

"What's permanent?" he demanded.

"Jason, I'm paralyzed from the waist down," she told him. The boy jumped up so fast he knocked his chair to the ground.

"I did that to you?" he exclaimed, forgetting that they weren't alone.

"Jason, this wasn't your fault!" Ruby shouted.

"You can't walk anymore and it's because of me! It was **me**! **My** skills! He made me worse than a killer!" Jason screamed.

"Young man, calm down," Dr. Carter said sharply. "Miss Chandler, I apologize. I had no idea who this was. I'll have him arrested immediately," she continued, moving towards the security call button.

"Don't you dare," Ruby snapped.

"But Miss Chandler, he confessed to stabbing you," Dr. Carter reminded.

"It wasn't his fault. He had been mind warped," Ruby snapped again.

"Are you sure you-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now leave!" _Well, she was always volatile_, Jason thought to himself with a trace of a smirk. The doctor left and Jason started to follow, but Curtis grabbed his arm.

"Don't you dare walk away."

"I did this, Curtis. I ruined her life."

"Would you have done it if you in control?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, then there you go." Jason sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. This had sounded like a conversation he and Tommy had had shortly after Rita's spell had been broken. But that had been different. Tommy had had no choice in what Rita did to him. Jason, on the other hand, had willingly agreed to the mind control study. _I can't believe I had been so stupid_, he thought to himself. Meanwhile, Officer Stone had learned from Monica's mother that she, Curtis, and Jason had gone to the hospital and was now on his way there. He arrived at the building a few minutes later, got Ruby's room number from the front desk, and then went there. _I can't-I can't believe I did this to her! What do I do? How can I-_

"Stop freaking out, Scott," Ruby said, breaking his reverie.

"You always know, huh?" Jason asked, smiling ruefully.

"Of course," Ruby answered.

"Is this a bad time?" a voice questioned. They turned to see Officer Stone.

"Nah, it's cool. Come on in," Ruby told him. The man glanced at the kids and noticed that Jason was upset.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm paralyzed," Ruby replied and Jason blanched.

"I assume Jason's not taking it very well?" he surmised.

"How am I supposed to take it? I'm the one who did it to her!" Jason exclaimed.

"Okay, do you want to put this guy away?"

"Of course."

"Look, I have a written confession from one Stryker's associates, but he didn't know where Stryker is. And that's where one of you come in."

"What would we have to do?" Officer Stone stepped closer to the bed and the kids leaned in closely as the man outlined his plan.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I know the paralysis should've been mentioned earlier, but it just didn't work out that way.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

SHOUT OUTS/ANSEWERS

JasonTKD: We'll see.

Alex B. Goode: Thanks, okay.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

Two days later, Jason sat at a table at Ernie's, nervously drumming his nails on the surface.

"You okay, man?" a voice asked. He looked turned to see Curtis and Monica.

"I guess. Just worried. What if this doesn't work?" Jason worried.

"Hey, Officer Stone's got it all figured out. It'll work," Monica assured, as the two sat down.

"It's just too bad Ruby can't be here," Curtis said.

"I know, but her parents said the doctors told her to take it easy in case there was any sign of infection," Jason responded.

"Yeah," Curtis and Monica said together.

"Hey, here he comes," Jason noted. Monica and Curtis turned to where Jason was looking as the man came into the youth center.

"Hey you three, are you ready?"

"As we'll ever be."

"Good. I found out where Stryker is. We'll put the plan into effect tonight." The teens nodded. As they continued to talk, Jason saw the other Rangers enter the juice bar. He gave them a nod in greeting, but other than that, made no indication that he had seen them.

"Okay, you all have your parts?" Officer Stone checked.

"Yep," the teens chorused.

"Is someone going to fill in Miss Chandler?" Officer Stone asked.

"I will," Jason replied. The officer nodded and after a few more minutes of talking and going over the plan, the man left. From across the room near the weights, the other Rangers had seen the whole thing.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Kimberly wondered.

"I don't know," Zack answered.

"Perhaps something concerning what Jason told us in the Command Center?" Billy theorized.

"That could be," Trini said. The group continued to talk amongst themselves, all the while keeping subtle, concerned eyes on their leader. Then, suddenly, he and the two people he was with, stood up and walked out.

"Should we follow?" Tommy wondered. He and the others began to do so.

"Why don't we give them their space?" Billy responded. Reluctantly, they agreed. Later that day, Jason at home, was waiting for the signal. Suddenly, the phone rang. _Well, here it goes_, he thought to himself. He picked up the phone, and his expression went slack. When he got his orders, he left the house and went to the hospital and headed for Ruby's room. Seeing the girl, he strode over to her.

"No! Don't!" Her exclamation was cut short as he grabbed a pillow from behind her and put it over her face. Then, she slumped over. When he was done, he put the pillow back, and then walked back out. Afterwards, he headed for the base of operations. Stryker grinned as the youth walked in.

"So it's done?" he queried, even though he already knew the answer

"Ruby Chandler's gone," the boy confirmed. Stryker's grin grew as he stood up.

"Good boy. You did your duty in killing her," he oozed, picking up a letter opener and coming to stand before him. "Now there's just one thing left to do," he continued. He started to strike. However, Jason let out a kick, knocking the weapon to the ground.

"What the-" He barely had time to react as Jason kicked him back and then pinned him to the wall by putting his arm on the man's throat.

"Sorry Stryker, but your puppets have cut their strings," the boy snarled.

"You were the one who killed her. They arrest me, they'll arrest you," he smirked.

"Actually, we won't see as how Miss Chandler had already been sent home by the time you called with your little order," a voice corrected. Stryker's eyes widened when he saw the officer as well as Monica and Curtis.

"The police? You called the police on me?" Stryker rasped.

"That's right," Officer Stone confirmed. "Um, Mr. Scott, you can let him go now." Jason did as he was told and the officer read him his rights and led him away.

"By the way, if Ruby already been sent home, then who was in the hospital room?" Monica wondered as they also headed out.

"An officer of her height and built. I only pretended to smother her in case Stryker had people watching," Jason explained.

"Makes sense," Monica stated. Then, "So, when are you guys going to teleport Ruby to your headquarters to get her de-chipped?"

"Once we know for sure there aren't any infections that she can't feel because of the paralysis." The two nodded. They continued to talk.

"I wonder how long it'll take for Officer Stone to get everyone connected to Project X9," Curtis mused and Jason and Monica shrugged. They didn't know. As it turned out, it only took another couple of days, given the fact that Gary had turned on Stryker and his subsequent arrest seemed to take out all of his fight. After getting all of the information that he could from the arrested men, Officer Stone came to see the four who were at Ruby's house.

"What's up?" Jason wondered, forcing himself not to look away from Ruby for too long. Man! It still hurt-thinking about what he had done to the girl.

"With all of the information Stryker and his cronies have given us, we'll be able to take down his entire operation. My guess is that Project X9 will never even be referenced again." The kids cheered and high-fived each other. Officer Stone chuckled.

"I'll leave you guys alone." He walked away. The four continued to celebrate for a few minutes before Jason's eyes clouded.

"Jase, what is it?" Monica wondered.

"We still need to get Ruby deactivated," Jason answered.

"How?" Ruby demanded.

"I have a friend that has the tools to dig out the chip. But it'll hurt like heck," Jason answered.

"I don't care. I want it gone," Ruby insisted.

"Okay," Jason agreed and the group went into a secluded section of the youth center's hallway. Then, to her surprise, Curtis grabbed on to her and to Jason, who then teleported them.

"Um, Scott, where are we?" Ruby demanded.

"Ruby, this is the friend I told you about, Alpha 5. Look, this is going to hurt. You don't have to-"

"Just get it over with." Alpha used the same tool to remove the chip that he used to perform the exact same procedure on Jason, Monica, and Curtis. Throughout the whole thing, Ruby's face had remained stoic, with only an occasional flicker of pain. Afterwards, she was given something to mop up the blood.

"So, how do you know about this place, Scott?" Ruby wondered.

"My friends and I are the Power Rangers." She looked at him.

"Say what?"

"Yeah." She stared and then let out a scoffing laugh.

"Well, of course you are. You're a goody-good." He fixed her with a mock glare.

"Ruby, you and your friends are the only three to know the Power Rangers' identities and it is imperative for this information to remain a secret."

"We'll do whatever we have to."

"Then repeat after me. I swear upon the forces of goodness-"

"I swear upon the forces of goodness-"

"To maintain the secret of the true identities of the Power Rangers."

"To maintain the secret of the true identities of the Power Rangers."

"Thank you, friends." Several minutes later, they were back at the youth center, and they were joined by the other Rangers.

"So, what's going on?" Kimberly wondered.

"Ruby here got herself deactivated," Jason answered.

"So, do you guys have the same job as Jason?" Ruby asked.

"Yep," they confirmed.

"So, I just have one question," Kimberly stated.

"What's that?" Zack wondered.

"Jase, are you back?"

"Yeah, I'm back. With the chip gone, I'm no longer a liability." The Rangers grinned and Tommy and Jason slapped five, clasping each other's fingers.

THE END


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